ChiKat

Bolivia is the poorest country in South America. The official retirement age is 65, at which time residents are eligible for free healthcare and social security. However, only 4% of the population survives to 65.

Despite the extreme poverty, the Bolivians follow the ancient Incan rules: Don't Lie; Don’t Steal; Don't Be Lazy.

There are very few beggars and no aggressive begging at all. In China, we were constantly harassed by people asking for money or selling crap. We haven't experienced anything like that here.

In London, if you get into a non-official taxi, the driver will often hide the meter and demand an exorbitant fare when you reach your destination. In Bolivia, the cab drivers (of which there were HUNDREDS because gas is very inexpensive) will always tell you the fare at the beginning of the ride, so you can agree on the price.

Rather than meters or per-mile charges, there seems to be three rates: close, a little ways, and far.

Keep in mind, this is a city of 2 million people. It is huge. So "close" is a fifteen-minute cab ride. "A little ways" is a 30-minute cab ride and "far" is everything else. Going across the entire city costs the equivalent of one or two U.S. dollars.

The cabs are clean. The drivers are polite and friendly. The service is a million times better than anything I experienced in Chicago.

People here are extremely friendly. Many of them, especially the older women, will stop and coo over our son. It's a delightful experience to travel with him. We interact more with locals because of him. I am kicking myself for not brushing up on my Spanish before coming here.